FAIRFAX, Va. – The injury-plagued George Mason University men's basketball team (18-11, 7-9) dropped a defensive contest to Duquesne (18-11, 8-8) by the score of 59-51 on Saturday afternoon inside EagleBank Arena.
 
Missing leading scorer Keyshawn Hall and point guard Ronald Polite III, the Patriots forced 18 Duquesne turnovers, but committed 18 of their own while shooting 36.5 percent (18-48) from the floor.
 
The Patriots led 24-21 at the half and trailed by just two (53-51) with 1:11 to go. But Mason would not score on its final three possessions as the Dukes escaped Fairfax with a win.
 
Duquesne has now won eight of its past 11 league games.
 
"Duquesne was desperate at 0-5 to start the season and now they're red hot," George Mason head coach Tony Skinn ('06) said. "Us being down two starters, it ends up being a dog fight. For about 36-37 minutes we had a chance. It's a game of possessions and they forced us to take and miss a lot of bad 3s, which took away our confidence. Dae Dae Grant and Jimmy Clark made some big plays down the stretch and I thought that was the difference maker."
 
Senior Darius Maddox led the Patriots with a game-high 22 points, just two off his career high. He made 7-of-13 field goal attempts and knocked down of 4-of-7 3-pointers in 36 minutes of work.
 
Senior Woody Newton added eight points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals, while junior Jared Billups chipped in eight points, five rebounds and a career-best four steals.
 
Freshman point guard Baraka Okojie also notched a quartet of steals and tied his career best with six assists in 36 minutes.
 
Duquesne held a 29-28 edge on the glass, dropping Mason to 1-7 this season when they are outrebounded by their opponent.
 
George Mason plays its final regular season road game of the 2023-24 campaign when the Patriots head to the Ocean State for a Wednesday night contest at Rhode Island. Tip-off between the Patriots and Rams is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.